What is Dawbarn’s Test?
The dawbarn’s test indicates signs of subacromial bursitis.
Before understanding the procedure of performing the dawbarns test, you’ll first have to understand what is subacromial bursitis. And for understanding subacromial bursitis you’ll first have to understand what is subacromial bursa.
What is Subacromial Bursa and Subacromial bursitis?
Bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac located between tissues (bones, skin, joints, tendons, and muscles). Due to that fluid, the bursa can be used as a cushion between bones, skin, joints, tendons, and muscles. This help in reducing the irritation and friction between the tissues that move against each other.
When the subacromial bursa is not irritated, bones and joints move smoothly and pain-free. But when it becomes inflamed or swollen, this condition is known as subacromial bursitis.
Now How this Dawbarn’s test indicates subacromial bursitis?
People who are in the habit of travelling or engaged in any such occupational work where they have to raise their hand above their heads regularly. For example, people who travel in buses and local trains without being seated will have to catch hold of these rods while travelling.
Suppose people have a habit of travelling with their hands above their heads. In that case, this subacromial bursa will stay compressed below this coracoacromial arch and acromion for a longer period of time.
As this subacromial bursa will remain compressed for a longer period of time. Therefore due to this compression of the subacromial bursa for a longer period of time, the subacromial bursa will undergo inflammation, which is called subacromial bursitis.
So this person, later in life (after some time), will come up with the complaint of painful shoulder joint abduction.
Initial abduction will not be painful because this bursa is not compressed initially. But when the patient’s hand reaches around 90 degrees of abduction, this subacromial bursa gets compressed. As this bursa is inflamed, a test is done to check this subacromial bursitis. And that test is known as Dawbarn’s test.
Now let’s understand the procedure of performing Dawbarn Test.
The procedure of performing the Dawbarn’s Test
- You’ll first have to palpate the patient’s acromion as acromion is the lateral most bony prominence on the shoulder.
- When you palpate upon the acromion below this acromion, you need to give a deep press upon that. When you do that, there will be rinsing on the patient’s face due to tenderness because the subacromial bursa is inflamed.
- After that, the examiner will passively abduct the patient’s arm to 90 degrees, and the examiner will again press on that point (below the acromion). After palpating just below the acromion (again at the same point), the examiner will give a deep pressure. But this time, there will be no pain. Because when you abduct your hand, the bursa, along with the head of the humerus, is gone inside the acromion and coracoacromial arch.
- So the pain will be in a normal position, but when the patient’s hand is abducted at 90 degrees, the pain at the same point disappears. This is called a positive Dawbarn’s test or Dawbarn sign. That is a check for subacromial bursitis.
What is the Positive Dawbarn’s Test?
When the arm is in an abduction position, and we apply pressure just below the acromion, the inflamed subacromial bursa comes in contact with the finger and the pain is felt.
But when the arm is abducted at 90 degrees, the subacromial bursa gets slips under the acromion process and coracoacromial arch. And applying pressure at the same point will not elicit pain. This indicates a positive Dawbarn’s test.
You May Also Read
Nerve Root Disorder Test
Duchenne Sign – Used to assess a nerve root disorder.
Thomsen Sign – Indicates or signals sciatic nerve root irritation.
Tiptoe and Heel Walking Test – Identifies or pinpoints a nerve root disorder in the lumbar spine.
Sacroiliac Joint Tests
Mennell’s Sign / Mennell’s Test – Used to assess degenerative processes in the sacroiliac joint.
Springing Test – To detect functional impairment in the Thoracic & Lumbar spine & Sacroiliac Joint.
Gaenslen’s Test – To detect any pathology or dysfunction around the sacroiliac joint.
Standing Flexion Test/ Standing Forward Flexion Test – To assess sacroiliac joint dysfunction.
Thoracic Spine Test
Ott Sign – For Measuring the ROM of the Thoracic Spine
Cervical Exams
Cervical Flexion Compression Test – To identify if there is a Herniated disk in the Cervical spine.
Jackson Compression Test – To Detect Cervical Radiculopathy (Cervical Nerve Root Compression).
Spurling Test – For Diagnosing Cervical Radiculopathy.
Cervical Distraction Test – To detect the presence of cervical radiculopathy.
Soto Hall Test – For Detecting Problem in Patient’s Neck (Cervical Spine).
Some other Tests
Pelvic Ligament Tests – used for the assessment of the pelvic ligaments.
Supported Forward Bend Test (Belt Test) – helps in differentiating lumbar pain and sacroiliac pain.
Noble Compression Test/Noble Test – To assess pain coming from iliotibial band syndrome.
Neer Test – For detecting the presence of shoulder impingement syndrome.
Subscapularis Test – Indicates rupture of the subscapularis muscle
Codman’s Test – Examines passive movement in the shoulder joint.
Resources
Clinical Tests for the Musculoskeletal System: Examinations-Signs-Phenomena by K. Buckup
Hello Friends,
My self Ritvik Verma and I am a Physiotherapist and the founder of www.physio-study.com. I completed my bachelor’s of physiotherapy from Integral University Lucknow and an internship at KMC Hospital Meerut.
Then I worked in the Physiotherapy Department of Lovee Shubh Hospital (Lucknow) for one year. Then I joined Holistic Touch Physical Therapy & Wellness Clinic and worked there for more than six months.
I am running my clinic and writing blogs on my website, www.physio-study.com, in my hometown, Lakhimpur Kheri.
